1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a short-circuiting terminal fitting for detecting an engaged state of a connector and a connector provided with an engagement detecting function comprising such a short-circuit terminal fitting.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A known connector provided with an engagement detecting function is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-201414. This connector is constructed, as shown in FIG. 8, such that a connector housing 1 is provided with a lock arm 2 and a short-circuiting terminal fitting 3 provided with elastic contact portions 4 is mounted in the connector housing 1. When this connector is partly engaged with a mating connector housing 5, as shown in FIG. 8, a projection 6 formed on the lock arm 2 is in contact with an engaging portion 7 of the mating connector housing 5, thereby being elastically deformed downward. The elastic contact portions 4 pressed by the lock arm 2 are displaced to positions where they are not in contact with a pair of detection terminals 8 provided in the mating connector housing 5. In this state, since the detection terminals 8 are not short-circuited, the partial engagement of the connector housings 1, 5 is detected. Further, when the connector housing 1 is properly engaged with the mating connector housing 5, the projection 6 having passed the engaging portion 7 is lockingly engaged with the edge of the engaging portion 7 by the elastic restoring force of the lock arm 2 and, not being pressed by the lock arm 2 any longer, the elastic contact portions 4 elastically return to their original upper positions to contact and short-circuit the detection terminals 8. As a result, the proper engagement of the connector housings 1, 5 is detected.
As shown in FIG. 9, the elastic contact portions 4 of the short-circuiting terminal fitting 3 are fixed at one end thereof and hanging or deflectable at the other end thereof in order to facilitate its elastic deformation. Thus, when the short-circuiting terminal fitting 3 is handled alone, the elastic contact portions 4 may come into contact with and/or get caught with other members or elastic contact portions 4 of another short-circuiting terminal fitting 3. This may cause the deformation of the elastic contact portion 4. Further, when the short-circuiting terminal fitting 3 is mounted in the connector housing 1, the elastic contact portions 4 project into a space for the insertion of the short-circuiting terminal fitting 3 which is open in the rear end surface of the connector housing 1. Accordingly, if a foreign matter or the like enters this space, the elastic contact portions 4 may be deformed. Furthermore, if, due to a contact with a foreign matter or other reason, the lock arm 2 is excessively deformed beyond its usual degree of displacement when the connector housings 1, 5 are partly engaged, the elastic contact portions 4 may be excessively deformed beyond their elasticity limit.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problems and an object thereof is to prevent the deformation of an elastic contact portion due to the interference by other member(s) and an excessive deformation of the elastic contact portion due to an excessive pressing displacement of a lock arm.